Bicyclist Tackles Path Of Discovery

After A 5,000-mile Ride Across The Country, Tom Scoville Sets Out In Search Of A Purpose.

September 29, 1999|By John Chase, Tribune Staff Writer.

Tom Scoville has crossed more than 5,000 miles of roads from Oregon to Maine on nothing more than his bicycle. But as he sits these days inside his modest Lisle home, he faces a mental crossroads more important than any he has ever encountered.

A month after completing a bike trek across the U.S. in just over two months following his doctors' diagnosis that he has prostate cancer, the 53-year-old Scoville now faces an even more difficult trial: What to do next?

"I'm trying to figure that out right now," Scoville said Tuesday as he stood next to the blue 12-speed Miyata he rode from Astoria, Ore., to just south of Portland, Maine, from mid-June to the end of August. "Whatever it is, I know it will involve sharing my story with as many people as I can. Beyond that, I have no idea."

A devout Christian who found his faith after learning two years ago he had cancer, Scoville rode his bike cross-country to complete a lifelong dream; raise money for his church, Crossroads Community in Naperville; and spread his story across the nation.

But when he got back from his journey, it wasn't the people who learned of his story who were most affected--it was Scoville himself.

"It's changed me. It's still changing me," he said. "I thought I'd go out and help change people, but this is changing me more than I ever imagined."

One of the most significant--and practical--effects on Scoville is the thought that he no longer needs his house.

After riding his bike across the northern half of the U.S. with only 60 pounds of gear tucked inside bags that hung on the back of his bicycle and its tires, Scoville arrived home in late August and looked at his house.

"I had everything I needed to live on that bike and I realized that when I got home," he said. "I'm coming to the realization I don't need all this stuff. I really don't want to mow my lawn anymore, you know?"

The other lesson he learned was to believe that things will always work out in life.

On his own for a good portion of the trip after friends and assistants helping him had to get back to their homes and jobs, Scoville often didn't know where he would be pitching his tent for the night. Sometimes it was on the side of the road. Sometimes it was in a municipal park. Every time, while problems sometimes arose, he survived and went on.

Scoville concedes that all of this might sound a little far-fetched. But after biking cross-country--never once popping a tire--and still feeling healthy after marking the two-year anniversary of the date in which he was told he has two to three years to live, Scoville is willing to say things and believe in things he never before did.

"I think I'm rational," he said, laughing. "Really, I'm just trying to figure out what God wants me to do.

"Does it mean selling my house and going around telling my story? Maybe. Right now, I'm just trying to be quiet for a little while, so I can hear."

Although Scoville still feels healthy, he said recent doctors' tests show that the cancer in his body might be getting stronger. He is expecting another round of tests early next year.

He cut through the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and the Black Hills in South Dakota. He later attacked Iowa during a heat wave and finished the journey through the rolling hills and mountains in the East.

Often, he would ride in the morning, rest in the afternoon on hot days and continue until nightfall. He would then pitch a tent, wash up, eat and read the Bible or other inspirational works.

"It was tough; it beat me up," he said. "Some days you'd have to really motivate yourself to get going. Physically it was demanding, but I always seemed to find the way. God gave me the strength."

From Oregon to Niagara Falls, N.Y., he was joined by various friends. From there until Maine he was on his own.

"But I always talked to people on the trip, telling them my story or just talking to them," he said. "I never felt alone."

Following the trip, Scoville has taken time to volunteer for his church and think about his trip. He is divorced but is setting up his house as a temporary residence for his son, who is in the process of moving.

He still rides his bike and meets people, and if the opportunity arises, he talks to them about what he did.

Recently, while riding, he encountered a woman in the Danada Forest Preserve in Wheaton. The two talked, and Scoville opened up about how he is still looking for a purpose in his life.

"So was she," he said. "I think a lot of people still are. And that's why I go on."